Professor Beneish received his bachelor's degree from L'Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Reims in France in 1978, and his Ph.D in accounting and economics from the University of Chicago in 1987. He joined IU in 1996 from Duke University.

Professor Beneish's area of expertise is the prediction, causes, and consequences of earnings management. He has developed a unique model that helps researchers and investors detect companies most likely to create misleading financial reports. He has investigated capital market phenomena from accounting, finance, and economic perspectives. His work has appeared in top accounting, economics and finance journals such as Accounting Review, Journal of Finance, Journal of Accounting and Economics, Journal of Law and Economics, Journal of Business, Contemporary Accounting Research, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Review of Accounting Studies, and Journal of Accounting and Public Policy. His recent work investigates (1) whether and how insider trading opportunities provide incentives for earnings management, (2) whether and how the demand for common stocks is elastic. In 2000, Professor Beneish was recognized as the Barney Distinguished Teaching Fellow, and received both the Kelley School's Research Award and the Alumni Board Award for Best Research Proposal. In 2002, the Financial Accounting and Reporting Section of the American Accounting Association selected his paper on incentives and penalties related to earnings overstatements for its 2002 Best Paper Award.